The late Peter Ryan will be familiar to many readers of
The Age for his long-running column As I Please. But there was a lot more to Ryanâs life and works, as this compact biography demonstrates. He was once described as a âuniversal manâ â and that sounds about right.
As a man of action he spent a truly frightening time behind the lines in occupied New Guinea at 18 â an experience that bequeathed him military decorations and a lifetime of malaria. His classic
Fear Drive My Feet was based on this.
As a man of letters he was an author, newspaper columnist and director of publishing for 26 years at Melbourne University Press â where he published Manning Clarkâs six-volume
Book reviews: My Daughter s Wedding; The Hands of Pianists; The Breaking; Still Alive; Grimmish; Ryan s Luck; A Decade of Drift; One Italian Summer smh.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smh.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.